Children’s home Holyrood Crescent after it had closed

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  1. Elizabeth S

    The children’s home was called Mandeville. In the 1980s, when I worked there as a young residential social worker, it was home to a number of children and young people up to the age of 18, housed in three separate units. I remember being on night duty during The Great Storm of 1987, when doors and windows rattled all night long and the wind howled relentlessly through the (poorly insulated) buildings. I didn’t sleep a wink – and was amazed that all the young people in my unit managed to sleep soundly through it all…

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    • Morgan

      You must have worked there when I was a resident and I am sure that a little storm would not have interfered with our sleep! I occasionally wonder what ex staff and residents of Mandeville are doing now.

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    • Serena George

      I was there in 1987, can’t remember much, I know my keywords was Dave, think the manager was Steve Thornley and there was a horrible little man named Peter I think..he was so cruel to me..but over all that home saved me

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  2. Robert

    I was in care at Mandeville around the mid 60’s, the only member of staffs name i can remember was the guy in charge Terry, we had to call him ” uncle Terry ” which made me uncomfy but saying that he was a decent guy and the rest of the staff were good also. Back then there were just 2 units i was housed in the one on the left of this picture as you look at it.

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    • Christopher marshall

      My name was Christopher Marshall hi rember terry we used to call him uncle terry am the one used to have the belt a cross my back from but the other staff was good to me do rember Christopher thorne and do you rember Barbara hi like to find the other people who lived there hi left in 1972 moved to Leicester keep in touch

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    • Katy elliott

      I used to be a a resident as a teenager in the 70s . I remember Terry as the house manager . He had thress sons . I think his surname was McGowan. There was a head women there called Linda bevan. She was a horrible horrible abusive women. I remember to young girls that used to stay with there mum at the weekend then come back to that women abusing them. Pulling there hair. She dragged me by the hair when I didn’t hear what she said. She was a wicked horrible bully . All bullied the young girls like me.

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  3. Robert Coombs

    I was at Mandeville in the 60s,what looks like a garage on the house on the right wasn’t there when i was it must have been added later. there were just the two houses and one level building between them that housed the laundry ect. Terry who expected us to call him Uncle ( didn’t happen by me ) was in charge and was an ok guy..only other staff members name i remember was a big jolly lady called Rose she was always good to us same as the rest of the staff. i had no problems there. They used to take us on holiday to a caravan park in the lake district it was great fun. Worst time there i got sick with yellow jaundice and had to remain in the sick room for 3 weeks with no contact with the other kids there, the doctor wanted to place me in the hospital but Terry convinced her the staff could look after me in the sick room, i would probable been less bored in hospital with other patients around me.

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  4. Susan Clarke

    I lived in Mandeville for about 6/7 years from about 1968 with my brother Robin. I remember ‘Uncle Terry’ in his spare time he was an Opera Singer. I have a small memory of going to watch him on stage, if memory serves me right he played ‘Billy’ in the stage musical ‘Carousel’. I also recall the sad fatal story that Adelle Stapleton is talking about on your web site. I lived in the home at that sad time and new of the young girl who sadly lost her life. I also remember us all having different jobs to do, washing up, pot washer, peeling spuds, laying & clearing the tables for meal times, cleaning shoes in the cloak room. I recall going to the main office on a Saturday morning to collect our pocket money. I would always save some for a rainy day. I used to go with my friends to the local shop to buy The Jackie & Disco 45 magazines with all the latest song lyrics in them and we would go back and learn the songs. We also used to go to a pantomime every year leading up to Christmas, it was so magical, always looked forward to that treat. The one member of staff I recall was a Dutch lady by the name of ‘ Saskia ‘. So many memories.

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    • Laura Taylor

      I was there in 1973 till 1975 . I remember all the things you do Susan , I remember the tragic death of a girl Sylvia in Feb 74 , my brother Steven Taylor was at the home with me , your brother Robin was a good friend of mine , my name was Paul Taylor back then , changed to Laura Taylor , how the last 50 years have flown as I’m now 60

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  5. Jojo

    I was in mandeville home in the 1974 s with my sister Micheala
    And my mums sister called Maggie / Margret terry and his wife lived the the house with there three sons. I remember rose and Lynda house staff and Dave and his wife lived in the flat above the double garage we was there for three years.

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    • Jennifer austin

      I was there from around 1978 -1980 my name was Jenny Clarke back then, I’m sure the owners, manager surname was Cowan? I lived in the main house, I remember a few names, Julie page, David grant, there was a Gillian, also I remember a girl called Petra, and two sisters one was called Jane Anderson can’t remember her sisters name, one of the staff was called Chris I think, I have quite a few good memories few good memories from there.

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    • Katy elliott

      I remember you and your sister . I can remember your sister had a lovely voice and singing a lena zaoroni song. Ma ma he making eyes at me lol but I clearly remember a time you and your sister came back from a weekend with your mum in Hatfield and that horrible Duke Linda getting hold of your hair where you hung your coats up . She was horrible to you . Don’t you remember. Debbie power do you remember her . I hated that dave staff member he was horrible. I like Terry and his wife and I’m sure he didn’t know or turned a blind eye to how wicked Linda bevan was.

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      • Laura Taylor

        God I remember that wicked witch Linda , she would be arrested today for how she was in them days for the way she treated the children . I heard that she passed away many years ago . I was at the home from 1973 to 75

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  6. Serena George

    I was there in 1987, can’t remember much, I know my keywords was Dave, think the manager was Steve Thornley and there was a horrible little man named Peter I think..he was so cruel to me..but over all that home saved me

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  7. Margaret A

    I was sent to Mandeville when I was 15 years old and was only there for 6 months. I remember Terry and Megan Cowan running the show with their 3 sons Mick Johnathan & David i was on the older girls side but my two niece,s Johanna & Machaela were in the mixed children’s home . Across the way staff I remember were Maggie and her dyke girlfriend Linda Bevan ,Christine our wonderful house mother on our side , children at that time I remember of that time Donna and Jane , Jackie Carey (sadly passed ) Dawn Robinson ,Kim and Peggie , mick , my niece,s . My memories of that place were not exactly pleasant, there was a lot of scared kids the owners were pocketing the children’s clothes grants and feeding them on budget food some of the staff on the children’s home side were Dame right Narcissistic and later after leaving I heard stories that should have brought 80% of their staff to jail . Although my experiences weren’t bad I certainly had to fight for my rights I had a living family and knew my onions some of those kids had no one . I once herd of a saying there’s fiddle in every job , The Cowan,s certainly proved it. I read the reviews on here I think there must be some of you who recall the very extreme punishments one of my nieces has a terrible phobia of ticking clocks now because of something in that home .

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  8. Tammy Walsh

    I was at Mandeville in the early 80’s. The only happy memories is of the friends I made there. I can’t understand why there hasn’t been an investigation to the way we were treat in the home. I remember an awful man there who had a had no shame in abusing the kids and nothing was done about it. We were fed the most awful food, but the cook did her best. I remember her fostering 3 little kids (thank god she got them out of there) I remember Uncle Terry and one of his sons. When he left myself and 2 girls got moved over to the house which didn’t end well for me as one of the male staff abused me but it got hushed up and I got kicked out and told it was time to find somewhere else to live. He had done it before in another kids home, I would love to see the staff that abused all the kids in Mandeville bought to justice but I suppose its to late now. I’ve lived with theses nightmares all my life.

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    • Hi tammy, think you were there when was but you were a little bit older but I was put in the same house as you, a girl called Karen, and Julie...

      Mandeville St albans

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  9. Tim clough

    I was in manderville 1987 88 I remember an older lad called jonh duck he went to prison for robbery and never came back….I hated the place and was always on the run I went to Rufford in watford after hate and was always on the run then Martins at hemel again hated it and always on the run…..then stanfield in welwyn loved it still went on the run but stanfield was good some staff were not but it was the first place I felt settled…..old now lifes fantastic

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  10. Donna Worsdale

    Hi Jenny – I was Jayne Anderson’s sister, Donna and I was there from 1974 until 1983 (Jayne joined me a year or so later) I have so many memories of the place. The couple that ran it were Terry and Megan Cowan, they lived in the house with their 3 sons Mick, Jonathan and David. They also had a golden labrador (forgot the name) I remember Linda Bevan, she was evil and picked on all the kids, including Jayne and I until my mum visited and got her to one side and threatened her – she didn’t bother us again! Christine was another member of staff, she was kind. frank Jarvis, another staff member who was also an actor and friend of Terry’s – again a lovely man. Cook was Jenny Beach, she was fabulous and adopted a family of 3 kids that were brought into the home, she was a lovely lady, I remember her husband Ken and two daughters (Sharon and Sonia I think) and we used to visit her at her home. I remember some of the people there: Jackie Carey, Linda Dimmock, Sharon Allen, Debbie Mary, are the ones that spring to mind. Holidays were a week in a caravan at Hunstanton Norfolk, except one year we went to Folkstone – then back again to Hunstanton. We queued up on a Saturday for our pocket money, the older you were the more you got. They asked you to save a little towards your holiday I recall. I was there in both the children’s home and the working girls hostel (I moved in there when I was 13) I enjoyed there as you were treated as an adult, doing your own washing, cooking and cleaning. I stayed until I was 18 as I went through college (Cassio in Watford) Left when I finished college and found a live in job at Hill-End Hospital. My leaving presents were an alarm clock and a continental quilt! More happy then sad days for me at Mandeville.

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  11. Alison

    I was there with my brother and sister but with our parents who were house parents in and around 1969. My father was Jack Welsby and my mother Betty. We lived in the flat above the garage. Remember the kids putting the rabbit in the swimming pool and the tortoise in the washing machine. One night a load of the big boys went and vanderlised the little Roman Catholic school over the field. Fun times

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